1. Set up and maintenance

When you first install MapMate you are asked to complete the "My Configuration" wizard. It is also useful to re-visit My Configuration periodically – for example after installing new patches. This video shows how to set up My Configuration, and what effect it has on the rest of the program.

Backing up

As soon as you start entering data you should be backing up your copy of MapMate. There are two ways of doing this, as shown in the two videos:

Backing up by creating a file from within MapMate (simple to do and backs up data safely, but doesn't back up any customised maps)

Backing up by copying the MapMate folders (backs up everything including maps)

Updating the MapMate software

The video demonstrates how to use "Smart software update" and how to download "Patches". See also How to Update your Software (pdf download).

Compact and repair

Over time, the Access database that MapMate uses can become larger than it needs to be. It's worth running the Compact operation once or twice a year to keep everything in order, and if you think there may be a fault with your database (e.g. if records have gone missing or queries are not running) then it is worth trying the Repair operation as well. Watch the video for a demonstration, and the sequence is:

1. Create a backup of your copy of MapMate.

2. On the main MapMate screen, click on the blue "dataset" label (top middle of the screen), and choose Tools - Compact. Wait for this process to finish.

3. If you need to run the Repair operation, click again on the blue "dataset" label (top middle of the screen), and choose Tools - Repair. Wait for this process to finish.

MapMate and Windows Vista/Windows 7

Some people have experienced difficulties when transferring MapMate onto computers running the newer versions of Windows. Martin Harvey's summary of the situation is available here (pdf document), based on MapMate's guidance for keeping the program running happily.